CANBERRA BUSHWALKING CLUB NEWSLETTER it Canberra Bushwalking Club Inc. GPO Box 160 Canberra ACT 2601 Volume 53 Number 6 www.canberrabushwalkingclub.org July 2017 GENERAL MEETING 7.30 pm Wednesday 19 July 2017 Cliffs and Cactus, Bottle Trees and Blue Gums - Bushwalking in Central Qld Presented by Meg McKone The six day, 90 km Carnarvon Great Walk climbs from the towering white cliffs of Carnarvon Gorge to the timbered plateau of the "roof of Queensland" nine hundred metres above, and back again, touching on Aboriginal and white history along the way. We took an extra day to investigate some of the fascinating geology of the area, then moved on for several days of off-track walking amidst the bounteous wildflowers and elusive rock pinnacles of the Ka Ka Mundi Section of Carnarvon National Park. The Mansion, an erosional feature in the Mount Moffatt Hughes Baptist Church Hall section of Carnarvon National Park. Photo provided by Meg Mckone 32-34 Groom Street, Hughes In this issue President’s Report Review of June CBC meeting Trip report –a Canadian’s story Membership Tale of a Baby K2K record attempts Training and Safety report CBC Committee members KNP Back Country survey Walks Secretary‘s report Tinderry Treasures Activity Program Editor Matthew Higgins – new books Bulletin Board Canberra Bushwalking Club it July 2017 page 1 Committee Reports From the President The CBC is one of several ACT clubs which have been invited to take part in the ACT Recreation Users Stakeholder Group (RUSG.) The RUSG provides a regular forum to discuss matters that relate to active recreation participation and the management of recreation on public land and water in the ACT. It is jointly run by Directors of Parks and Conservation, City Services and Active Canberra. In bureaucratic terms the forum enables: - The exchange of information between Recreation Users and ACT Government; - The raising of issues of concern that relate to the industry as a whole; - The Government to seek input on its strategic direction and planning for programs and infrastructure; and - The provision of updates on policies, procedures and links to issues locally and nationally. What this means in practice is that the clubs get a chance to find out what is happening in the relevant bits of the ACT government and we can raise any problems being experienced in the local outdoor spaces. So, let me know if there are issues that you would like me to pursue. For example, one thing that I would like to raise in the Group is the use of drones over ACT nature reserves as their noise can be intrusive. Lorraine Tomlins President From the Membership Secretary During the period 18 May to 27 June the Club welcomed 9 new members – Elsie McDonnell, Sonja Weinberg, Marlene Eggert, Bernadette Backer, Janet Harris, Glenn Wallis, Matthew Osborne, Ming Lau and Ian Gaze. Half of these new members were motivated to join after a recommendation from a friend and then after completing a Club walk. Membership fees 2016/2017 Roger Edwards $33 per person Membership Secretary . Canberra Bushwalking Club it July 2017 page 2 Committee Reports Training and Safety Report Walking during the shortest days and longest nights July, and Canberra days are short and cool, but wondrous. The days are crisp and clear, the frost crunches underfoot and a walker’s heart is full of joy. What are the secrets of walking in the short days just after the solstice? For mine, a secret is to get up early, and to start walking early. At the least this means waking in the pre-dawn light, and driving through dark foggy Canberra streets to an 8:00am rendezvous at the Kambah Shops. More ambitious walks should start earlier. In July, daylight is precious, and the keen walker should not waste a minute of it by loafing in bed. Any fog will soon dissipate, and should it not, a good response is to bushwalk uphill until you get above it. One should take a torch as a standard piece of safety equipment, just in case you should run out of light. Not to mention all of the other safety equipment that I regularly mention in these updates. I firmly advise light raincoats, even on the sunniest of days. Of course, one can give up on the days altogether and experiment with walking at night time. For these walks a torch is mandatory. The trick is not to venture too far from home and for this, Canberra Nature Park is ideal. Walk with capable friends, and walk early in the evening before it gets too cold. Take a mobile phone and warm clothes such as a beanie and gloves. Marvel at the great winter constellations overhead – Scorpio, Corvus, Sagittarius… If you stay out late enough, out of the east will come flying Aquila the Eagle, reminding us that Spring will return one day soon enough. David Dedenczuk Training and Safety Officer From The Editor There have been some wonderful contributions to this edition and all readers should find something to enjoy amongst the diverse range of articles on offer this month. We have articles from some long standing Club members – Ian Wright explores another great place to walk; Dave Drohan reveals his past achievements as a tiger walker; Matthew Higgins promises more treats in store with two new books soon to be launched. Then we have some newcomers giving us a different perspective – one from baby bushwalker Thea, courtesy of Jenny Horsfield, while Canadian visitor Christine Weisenthal describes her first encounter with the CBC and the Australian bush. For those of you who enjoy the snow, Rowan Peck has arranged some interesting results of a KNP back country visitors survey for you to study. Our Club is rich with talent and stories and experiences like these, and I extend my thanks to all of you who took the trouble to share yours this month. Enjoy your reading. Meredith Hatherly Editor Canberra Bushwalking Club it July 2017 page 3 Committee Reports From the Walks Secretary I have enjoyed a few walks recently on the crest of the Tidbinbilla Range, up behind the Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. Although it might not be to everyone’s liking because a remote area is being opened up, rangers have contracted volunteer groups and others to reinstate the Skyline Track, in line with their management policies for the TNR core conservation zone. The southern end of the Skyline Track, which goes via management trail from the Fishing Gap car park to Fishing Gap, then a newly cleared track and taped route to Mt Domain, is a great walk. It’s around 13km return with a 700m climb. Lunch views to The Pimple from Tidbinbilla Peak At the northern end, you can walk 5.5km up the Camel Back Fire Trail from the Mountain Creek car park, then double back along the crest and up through Johns Peak to Tidbinbilla Peak. The Skyline Track here is very easy to follow. Tidbinbilla Peak provides enormous views. This return trip is around 16km (11km on fire trail) and climbs 660m. The middle sections joining Tidbinbilla Peak, Tidbinbilla Mountain, Snowy Corner and Mt Domain are a little less defined. They cover a distance of 6.5km. There are intermediate exits down a very scrubby spur descending SE from the Peak to the Camel Back Fire Trail and a well-defined footpad leaving the crest at the Snowy Corner cairns (these are 400m south of the map- marked Snowy Corner location) which goes down to join the Lyrebird Track. The Skyline Track is great walking and provides enormous views. Perhaps try it first with someone from the Club who has been there. And probably not a walk for snow, high wind or poor visibility. Enjoy your walking and happy feet Camels Hump from the top of the little scramble to Johns Peak John Evans Walks Secretary Photos: John Evans Canberra Bushwalking Club it July 2017 page 4 REVIEW OF JUNE 2017 CLUB MEETING Walking with Camels in the Simpson Desert – presenter Rosemary Purdie Rosemary has ventured into the Simpson Desert three times over the last three years, primarily to record native plant species and collect specimens for the Australian National Herbarium. These plant trips were undertaken as part of Australian Desert Expeditions trips with camels, each attracting both bushwalkers and ecologists interested in the desert environment. Participants with backgrounds in fields such as botany, geology and zoology share their findings with relevant authorities in order to expand knowledge of this unique region. Rosemary began by outlining key features of the Simpson Desert – a ‘young’ desert formed only about 1 million years ago, 130,000 square kilometres in area and comprised predominantly of longitudinal dunes and remnant lakes between dunes in its south. It has a low, erratic rainfall, often none for years and then heaps all at once, unpredictably and irrespective of season. A number of isolated ranges are found in the north of the Simpson and rivers such as the Todd, Hay and Plenty flow into the Desert from the north. The thousands of dunes in the Simpson Desert mostly run in a NNW – SSE direction, each dune 200-300 km long, and some reportedly up to 600 km long. The easterly sides of most dunes are steep and westerly sides have more gentle slopes. Dunes in the south tend to have multiple crests and are between 20-40 m tall, while those in the north usually have only one crest and a maximum height up to 20 m. The low land between dunes, the ‘swales’ or corridors, can be up to a kilometre wide, particularly in the south.